Classes resume at Portland State as repairs and prosecutions ramp up

Classes resumed at Portland State University on Friday, even as police continued their investigation into this week’s protests and crews continued to assess damage at the school library.

The Portland Police Bureau said its officers have arrested 30 people in connection to the protests that closed campus for several days. More are likely.

Twelve of those arrests happened Thursday morning as officers moved into the campus library to clear occupiers out of the building. Protesters opposing the war in Gaza took over and barricaded the building on Monday.

After police secured the building, they blocked it off with plywood and fencing before leaving the area.

“A short time later, PPB was notified that trespassers had torn down the fence and broken back into the library,” the police agency said in a written statement.

Related: Portland State community at odds after police step in

A combination of Portland and PSU campus police once again cleared the crowd by 8 p.m. from the city’s South Park Blocks and made eight more arrests.

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Small groups of people continued to protest around campus as many classes resumed Friday, but police said their officers only “monitored marchers from a distance” at that point.

The people who were arrested Thursday ranged in age from 18 years old to 60. Twenty of the arrestees were under 30. One person was taken into custody by Portland State University campus police, and was placed on a mental health hold. Portland police said seven officers were injured over the course of the day Thursday, most of the injuries minor, though one officer was taken to a local hospital after a knee injury.

Campus life back to normal, on the surface

It’s been a tense week at PSU, as on many college campuses across the country, with divided opinions among PSU students and faculty; some expressed support for the protest action, while others said the university closure this week and damage to the library were significant disruptions to learning.

But campus was peaceful and largely quiet Friday afternoon as students walked to class or ate lunch outside. The loudest disruptions came from construction crews boarding up the outside of the library and power-washing away graffiti, including slogans opposing Israel’s military actions in Gaza, the primary focus of the library occupation.

Related: Police clear protesters from Portland State University library

Some people stopped to watch the crews work on the library as Portland Police officers patrolled the area. One PSU student said that they liked the campus better without the presence of the police. A former PSU professor was dismayed that students, faculty and staff no longer had access to the library.

Brady Roland, a senator in Portland State’s student government, lives on campus. She attended many of the protests and demonstrations from earlier in the week and said Friday was much like any other day at the university.

“Fridays are the days that we don’t really have classes,” Roland said. “So it was pretty quiet on campus today. But I’m assuming on Monday next week everything will be pretty much back to normal, other than the library being closed.”

It’s unclear how long the library will be closed to students and faculty or how much damage has been done.

A letter sent to the campus community on Friday afternoon from PSU President Ann Cudd estimated the library could reopen in time for the school’s fall term. Cudd said the university is working to get remote library services online and alternative study spaces open across campus for students.

In the letter, Cudd also said the May 10 investiture ceremony to officially install her as president of Portland State will be delayed.

Related: Portland State protest ‘delusional,’ Wheeler says, as local leaders advise public caution

Law enforcement efforts continue following police intervention at PSU library

In a press conference Thursday, Portland Police Chief Bob Day said the agency wants the public’s help to identify demonstrators who had occupied the library but fled the scene when officers entered that morning. Government leaders reiterated their frustration Friday with the nature of the campus protest.

“The criminal activity that has occurred in downtown Portland in the last few days is unacceptable and in direct opposition to Oregon values,” Gov. Tina Kotek said in a press conference Friday. “As your governor, I understand that there is a clear line between exercising free speech and peaceful protest, and discriminatory harassment, violence and property damage. That line was crossed this week and law enforcement authorities appropriately intervened.”

Many of the people arrested in the protests faced arraignment on Friday, yet found plenty of support on their way in and out of the courtroom. Some walked out of their hearings at the Multnomah County Justice Center to small crowds clapping for them. Outside the courthouse, demonstrators offered words of support, food and even gift baskets.

Ivy Benedetti, a Portland Community College student arrested Thursday at PSU’s library, said she was nervous about her criminal charges but felt better after getting appointed an attorney. Benedetti said she hoped to talk further with her attorney about her case.

“I haven’t had any advice or help, really,” Benedetti said.

At the arraignment, Bijal Patel, of the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office, told four people that they were not facing criminal charges. A spokesperson told OPB that two people were experiencing homelessness and had been unaware of the police presence until arrests began, and another two voluntarily left the library at the police’s instruction.

During the hearing, however, Patel said the decision doesn’t necessarily mean they won’t face criminal charges later.